Thursday, 25 July 2013

Mevlevihanesi Monastery and its dancing Dervishes, Istanbul

You find the Mevlevihanesi Monastery in the Tünel district, Galip Dede Caddesi. It is now a museum with a fabulous dancing hall on the first floor. The ceiling of the dance hall is unbelievable. You could not imagine this when you look at the wooden building from the exterior.

It is here that the Dervishes dance the Sema. This is a traditional dance which brings the men wearing white dresses into a trance looking for the truth and perfection. The dances still exist although Ataturk has forbidden it in 1923. This is the first activity we have found that Turks still practice although it was forbidden by the founder of the nation.

The garden is beautifully landscaped, a bit further there is a graveyard. The building next to it holds above ground coffins like we have seen in many royal tumbs.

That is amazing! I wish I had been there with you. I saw a video of the whirling dervishes in a concert hall where Satan himself, Bashar al-Assad, was watching the holy ceremony... I'm glad they still practice it in secret. It is so much more than just a show.